5 Chapter 4: We're Not Alone Anymore

[Ryuu - 3rd POV]

After seeing Cyrus once he had finished speaking, Ryuu wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Of course, she wanted to follow him and check on her friend especially after what she had just heard, but at the same time, she knew that she had to stay here as well as her job requires of her.

"Mama Mia. Would you mind packing our meal so that we can return home? It seems that I have a goddess to discipline." Riveria said as she stared down at Loki who seemed slightly ashamed and embarrassed at the same time. After all, who would have expected that magic users of Cyrus' caliber, if not better, had died during a civil war on top of an apparent genocide, and considering the fact that the goddess was not saying anything else, he must have been telling the truth.

"You got it." Mama Mia had responded with a solemn nod, having heard the story just like everyone else had, and it seemed that those other Adventurers had also lost their appetite and wanted to follow suit by taking their meals home to eat. After all, despite death being common in Orario, hearing about a genocide of seemingly powerful magic casters who may have been more magically talented than a First Class Adventurer is another matter entirely especially since there is a deity in the building who didn't even refute that claim.

"Ryuu, help us ring everyone up really quickly and then you can catch up to him okay? The rest of us can take care of everything else." Syr said as she collected the payment of the Loki Familia, giving her a knowing look and nodding her way. The Elf in question then looked for Mama Mia as if silently asking permission for the Dwarf to nod, and just like that Ryuu was quick to collect payments from several of the tables while Syr, Anya, Chloe, and Lunoire helped pack the meals to-go. After she had finished, the Elf quickly bade her co-workers farewell before leaving and heading down the street that would bring her near Cyrus' home since she knew that it was between the pub and the Guild. Thankfully, it was a relatively straight shot to the Guild since she didn't really know where exactly his home was located.

...

Once she finally caught up, she could see the young man walking down the street as if at a loss about something, and wanting to draw his attention, she called out his name.

"Cyrus..?"

And with that he stopped walking, only pausing for a moment before answering her back.

"Oh...hey..." Cyrus said with his back turned to her as his brought his hand up as if to rub at his temples before sloppily running it through his hair to the back of his head and rub his neck, but he couldn't fool the girl who was looking at his back. He had briefly wiped at his tears during that action.

"Ryuu...what are you doing here? You should be back at the Hostess of Fertility." He said to her as he turned around to face the Elf with a faint smile as he looked at the older girl, clearly wondering why she was here. But unlike before, his green eyes didn't seem to carry the same spark it normally does, even during the night. It felt wrong, just as wrong as it would have felt if something were to happen to Syr to make the sweet girl lose her smile. It just felt hollow and fake. Something she had once been familiar with.

"It's fine. I got permission from Mama Mia to take the night off. It seems that this evening's...revelation...led to some of the Adventurers paying for their meals and leaving for the night, so we're not expecting to be as full for the remainder of tonight." The Elf explained as she shook her head and began to close the distance between the two, noticing with a small amount of hurt how he seemed to subconsciously take a step back from her when she began to approach the young man who had become her friend three years ago. Why would he do that? She hadn't done anything for him to be wary of her, did she? Whatever the reason though, she pushed past it and continued forward until they were only a few steps from one another.

"As for what I'm doing here...well, is it wrong for me to want to check on how my friend is doing? After you left, you worried me, you know. So I took it upon myself to follow you and make sure that you were alright." Ryuu continued with a smile to show that she meant well, only for Cyrus to avoid looking her in the eyes as if he was hesitant to respond to her.

She could see the signs. She can see the hint of self-loathing in his eyes that had never been there for as long as she knew him. She can see the sadness. The loneliness. As if he had come to a realization that shattered him from the within. Their circumstances may not be the same by any means, but she could see herself in her friend.

Even if the comparison between the two merely wasn't there, in his emerald eyes she could see the barest shadow of her past self from three years ago who thought that everything would end for her in that alleyway after she took her revenge on Evilus. That her days should come to an end there, all cold and alone, before she was found by Syr and taken in by Mama Mia. And through seeing that, Ryuu could only see the path that he might take if she doesn't try to do something at this moment. It was as if she could see him potentially doing the same thing she had done and distancing himself away from his loved ones like she had done to her Goddess Astraea if she did nothing.

Is this perhaps how Syr felt when the girl found the Elf that night? The need to help someone else because that person simply wanted to help another in need?

But is that the only reason why she was trying to help him, even if it was probably unneeded? No...no it wasn't. And she knew that. She fully acknowledges that she didn't want to help him simply because he needed it...maybe she just didn't want him to think that he was alone when there should be nothing to make him feel like this, unlike herself, who believes that she deserved such a fate. Maybe it was something more. Who can say for certain?

"I'm fine Ryuu. Thank you though." Cyrus said to her reassuringly as he gave her a nod of appreciation, yet he didn't look her in the eyes. He's never done something like that before.

'Liar. Stop lying to me Cyrus.' She thought to herself.

"Are you sure?"

'Please. Be honest. We both know what the answer is.' Ryuu continued to tell herself in her mind, probably being the only person aside from Lord Miach who knows him best, but Cyrus continued to remain silent.

Oh...

"I see...well, I will leave you be then. Good night Cyrus." She said, avoiding using the word 'alone' as she turned away and began to walk away. Can she not save anyone after all..?

...

...

"Wait!"

The first thing that Ryuu associate with his voice calling out for her to wait was the warmth of Cyrus's hand overlapping her own, causing her to tense as she turned around for sky blue eyes to meet green eyes, yet she didn't at any point move to remove his hand as she remembered something that she was once told by her old friend and Familia Captain Alise, and that was to never let go of a man who was able to grab her hands if she wasn't averse to him touching her. At that memory and what was happening at this moment, the Elf couldn't help but to feel her face going red at the realization that after all this time, Cyrus had decided to hold her hand.

She was never sure about her feelings for Cyrus, or Mr. Ardenta as she used to call him when they met. He was always an odd person even as a young teenage boy. He had been Level 3 for a short amount of time when she and the two-year-younger boy had met after Mama Mia took her in as well as Chloe and Lunoire back after they had once attempted to kill her all those years ago, merely accepting their presence as simply new hires in the Hostess of Fertility after she came along.

He was always an odd Human. He never discriminated against any other races. He had a maturity and insight that other Adventurers older than him seemed to lack...of course that would be a matter of perspective since Cyrus and Syr sometimes like to banter whenever he visited and the boy would often tease Chloe and Lunoire about their choice in men whenever he was around for them to mention it. And whenever he spoke to her, he would always be polite and respectful of her boundaries when he didn't seem to care about bothering the others and being more social with them. When she asked him why, he merely smiled at her and said this:

'Well, you seem like you got a lot going on right now. I didn't want to bother you unless you felt like talking to me.'

She didn't know why, but she felt like he had known who she was, yet she left it be because she could have been just overthinking it. However, this was further solidified when at some point when their friendship had deepened, Ryuu had begun to call him by his first name and also once told him that she was once part of a Familia whose members had perished, leaving her as a sole survivor and in a bad position, after which through various circumstances, she had been taken in by Mama Mia. And how did he react? He merely smiled at the Elf and thanked her for trusting him enough to tell him her story, despite how vaguely worded it was and he never asked any questions after that.

What Familia was she from? How did they die? What happened between the time of that happening and her joining the Hostess of Fertility? He never asked any of those questions. When she asked why he wasn't being more inquisitive, he merely answered with another smile like last time:

'Well, you don't want to tell me right? Then don't tell me. It's not like I have the right to delve into your private business and you've respected my privacy right?'

He knew. He knew who she really was and what Familia she was from, and yet after all this time, he never said anything, neither to her nor to the Guild. He knew and yet he still treated her as any other person in his life. He still treated her as his friend. She remember the warmth she felt, knowing that he knew and still treated her the same, even if he probably hasn't yet to realize that she is aware of his knowledge, much to her secret amusement.

And since then, whenever he came, she would make more of an effort to talk to who may be one of her very rare friends within Orario who isn't part of the Hostess of Fertility. And while their bond had certainly deepened, he never made a move to touch her, even if she could tell that he certainly had the thought once or twice. And so they began their familiar routine. She would now directly hand him his drinks, much to his confusion at first before he began to take them from her hand, and this was something that began their personal exchange at the pub. And up until this day, he never tried to touch her, and as such, she could never tell what his feelings for her truly were, even if she had a better understanding of her feelings for him but could never confirm if they were genuine or merely gratitude to him for their continued friendship, much like how she is extremely grateful of Syr.

That is until now. The night that he finally took hold of her hand.

"Er...sorry Ryuu. I didn't mean to do that." Cyrus said to her as he began to released her hand, and that was when she remembered her Captain's words and instinctively listened to her as she squeezed back.

'I'm not letting go.'

"No!" She quickly yelled out much to his surprise before realizing her outburst and then cleared her throat.

"I mean...no. It's fine, Cyrus." Ryuu assured him, her face still a cherry red as she stared at him.

"Oh..." He murmured before a slightly awkward silence passed before he spoke again.

"Can we go to my place to talk?" Cyrus asked her, the Elf nodding as the two of them merely continued down the street, their hands locked together as if they were grasping onto a lifeline.

...

...

...

After some time, the pair had arrived at Cyrus's home, a simple and modest home for the Level 6 Adventurer courtesy of the Goibniu Familia that was very much unlike the residencies of the higher ranking Familias where their members lived.

"So this is your home. I have to admit that it's very you." Ryuu noted as she looked around the living room, her eyes spotting the rocking chair by the windows that sat in front of a small table where a book sat, a couch by the opposite wall while there was a bookshelf right by the fireplace.

"And what is very me?" Cyrus asked her, looking over at the Elf with a look of confusion.

"A simple man with simple yet good taste." She answered, prompting the Human to show her the first genuine smile he has shown since leaving the Hostess of Fertility before he started to pull her over to his couch for the both of them to sit down, their hands still locked with one another as they fell into another brief lapse of silence.

"You're still letting me hold your hand." Cyrus pointed out after he was contemplating how to start their conversation.

"Yes...I am." Ryuu confirmed her face feeling slightly warm at the reminder that neither of them had yet to release the other's hands.

"You're not letting go?" Cyrus asked her softly as he looked up from their hand towards the Elf, leading her to give his limb a gentle squeeze as she once again replayed the words that her Captain Alise had told her and replayed the memories that she has made with her friend who always went out of his way to make sure she was okay when he visited.

"No I'm not. I have no reason to let go." She assured him with her own smile as he seemed to be somewhat flustered by her wording but it seemed that her words made him a bit happy. It was nice to see him act more like his age when it came to the fairer sex. Honestly, there were times when the other girls thought he had...ahem...a preference for his own group...since he always seemed like he enjoyed tormenting them more than anything.

Another brief silence passed, but this one was far more comfortable than before.

"You know don't you, Cyrus? You know who I am." She said to him, knowing that she wasn't asking a question and she could tell he was aware of that.

"Um, yes. Wait, was I that obvious?" He asked her, a bit thrown off from how out of the blue her assertive question was.

"Yes. Yes you were. Mama Mia and everyone else knows as well." The Elf confessed, chuckling at how astonished he seemed to be.

"Really? I mean...I figured that Mama Mia would know considering she's part of the old guard, and Syr's just naturally nosey, but the other girls know that I knew who you really were? Damn, they're sharper than I gave them credit for."

Oh yes, that was quite an interesting night. Chloe, Lunoire, and Anya were almost up in arms when they realized that he knew the truth after she had told them and then threatened them to back off with Mama Mia's support, but he didn't need to know that they found out through the Elf.

"I always wondered...why did you never say anything to the Guild?"

"Huh? What kinda question is that? We're friends aren't we? You think I'd sell my own friend out, especially if you were in the right for what you did to Evilus?" He asked with a scoff, essentially putting the last nail into the coffin when he explicitly brought up her actions against Evilus, but he seemed to not want to remind her of the past as he continued speaking.

"Besides, you made a good life for yourself in the Hostess of Fertility. What kind of guy would I be if I ended up uprooting that life when you finally seemed to be happier than you were when we first met. And well..."

"And..?"

"Well, I didn't want to lose my friend. And I didn't want you to lose your friends and leave you alone." The Human finished as his eyes drifted back to their hands, his thumb drawing circles on her skin, causing Ryuu to feel a sudden shiver before she pushed past it.

"I see...thank you Cyrus."

"You're welcome, Ryuu."

"..."

"..."

"...You're not alone either, Cyrus, and don't pretend as if I don't know what I'm talking about. I recognize those eyes Cyrus. I once saw them in myself, and while I'm sure why you have started to feel this way, I'm telling you now that you're not alone. You will never be alone." She stated to him, reaching her other hand over to place it on top of his hand that was drawing circle to clasp it from the other side, causing him to look up once more, gazing into her eyes as if he was searching for an answer that only she had.

"...do you promise?" Her friend whispered, leading her to nod in reassurance.

"Yes...I promise. You're not alone, just like how I'm no longer alone as well."

"I'm not alone." Cyrus let out with a soft exhale as if he had a burden lifted off his shoulder.

"Yes...we're not alone anymore." She promised him as she held her gaze against his own.

"We're not alone anymore." He repeated after her, his eyes looking down at their hands once more as his remaining hand fell on top of their clasped hands and gave a small squeeze before he looked up once again, his eyes now filled with some resolve.

"Ryuu. I can trust you right? If I told you things that I have only ever told my God, you wouldn't share them with anyone else?" Cyrus asked her. What kind of question is that?

"Of course Cyrus. You can trust me. After all, I trusted you to not turn me in after I realized you knew who I was. And you had the audacity to grasp this Elf's hands in such a bold manner. As such, you should accept the responsibility that comes with such an action." Ryuu said to him in a light tone, her lips curled up in a smile, but she meant every word she had said.

'I won't let you go Cyrus. As long as you keep holding my hands, I won't let you go.'

"Alright then. Then it looks like I'll need to work harder to actually gather enough valis to pay off your bounty if I have to take responsibility." Cyrus responded with his own smile, seeming more like the Cyrus she knows and cares for...but why did he have to say that? As sweet as it was, she felt so flustered now...

"In that case, if you say I can trust you, then I want to entrust you with my greatest secrets. Secrets that I always wanted to share to someone who wasn't Lord Miach."

And so he repeated what he had told the listeners from the pub earlier, except for a few key changes and additional secrets. He was able to use any of the Bakudō or Hadō that were number between 1 and 99 so long as he knows them. He told her about how they actually have incantations and made the spells considerably more powerful than they already were. He told her about his ability to grow faster in the Dungeon compared to other Adventurers to explain how he reached Level 6 in only four years. She learned these things and many more things about him through the entire night that only she now knows about and will keep close to her heart as proof that her friend, one of her best friends, could trust her.

And of course, he told her about something rarer than any of those previous information. He told her about his ability to lie to the Gods.

That said, she knows that he wasn't going to tell her everything, and that's fine as she knows that he respects her privacy as well. And so their talk went well into the night.